Mass. campgrounds: How we rated them

Friday

Four teams of reporters and photographers went camping on the same night, Saturday, July 21.

We did not tell campground staffers or anyone else we were coming or reveal ourselves once there.

Our campers were instructed to spend the night doing what any other camper would do, then give their opinions to you.

They were in tents, not RVs, and they ranged from seasoned campers to a first-timer who says she will never do it again.

Ratings:

Poor *

Fair * *

Good * * *

Very Good * * * *

Excellent * * * * *

NICKERSON STATE PARK

COST: $15 a night, $17 for out-of-state residents, plus a $9.25 fee for the reservation.

WHAT'S THERE: 1,900 acres with eight miles of bike paths, swimming, boating, fishing, bird watching and seasonal interpretive and recreational programs. No electric or sewer hook-ups, but there is a dump station.

OUR RATING: * * * *

Nickerson State Park is a popular place to spend some time with family. You can spend your days fishing, biking, swimming or head to the beach. The campground is quiet by about 9 p.m.

If I were a few years older with a family, I might rave about the place. But as a twenty-something used to backpacking in California, Nickerson left something to be desired.

There were no great trails to explore or places to appreciate the sounds of nature. Rather the laughter of children splashing in the water or zooming around on their bicycles were louder at times than birdsong.

There were many extended families or groups of families with big set-ups. One of our neighboring sites had four tents, a clothes-line, bicycles, and several tarps stretched between trees to create a circus-tent-like shield from rain and sun.

If I had that kind of setup, I wouldn’t have minded as much that my small two-person tent was pitched a few feet away from the neighboring campsite’s picnic table. The water was beautiful and once most people had gone to make dinner, we found a nice beach to sit on.

While it isn’t a back-country experience, Nickerson State Park is still a pretty sweet spot.

Biggest surprise: The water was warm, compared with Cape Cod beaches.

High point: Going for a swim in the evening. We had part of the beach along the pond to ourselves.

Low point: Being woken up early in the morning by children yelling and playing nearby.

Best for: Families with children, people who like to fish or want a cheap place to stay near the beach on Cape Cod.

Reception Area: Clean and well maintained with a friendly staff. Check-in was easy. I was given a map, directions to my campsite and suggestions about what to do and where to go. A nearby building also had tourists and restaurant information.

Bathrooms and showers: Plenty of bathrooms, with no wait, but they could have been cleaner. Showers were also a bit dirty. There was hot water, but poor water pressure.

Camp store: Good selection of dry goods, a sparse refrigerated section, great ice cream and some beach and camping supplies. The prices were high, but that is normally expected. The man working there was not friendly.

Grounds: Campers and staff keep the grounds clear of litter; paths and points of interest are well marked with signs.

Campsites: They vary in size, but mine was small and close to other sites. There was almost no privacy. The picnic table and fire pit were in decent condition and there was a spot for our tent.

Atmosphere: Very quiet in the evenings but noisy early in the mornings. Lots of families with kids. Campground was generally crowded, but it was possible to find a quiet spot along the water late in the day.

Policing: I saw one patrol while we were there, but there was no need for any intervention.

-- Adva Saldinger/ The Patriot Ledger

WOMPATUCK STATE PARK

COST: $12 a night, $14 for out-of-state residents, plus a plus a $9.25 fee for the reservation.

WHAT'S THERE: This is your basic camping experience. There are campsites, bathrooms with free showers, a visitor’s center, and paved and dirt trails for bicycling and hiking. There is no boating or swimming, no camp store, firewood or laundry facility.

OUR RATING: * * *

Wompatuck State Park is a great place for bikers, joggers, and campers looking for an inexpensive way to entertain the family and be near the ferry to Boston and a beach. Be warned, though, there is no swimming, boating or fishing.

We expected that. What we didn’t expect was the concert that broke out at a nearby campsite after midnight.

Campers who turned in and adhered to the 10 p.m. quiet-hours posting were jolted by the sounds of doors slamming when three or four cars arrived at the campground at 12:30 a.m.

A campfire was lit, and a singer spent the next two hours belting out Jimmy Buffett, the Eagles and Simon and Garfunkel.

The singer, whose voice was nice, but unwelcome at that hour, was accompanied by an acoustic guitar, the ebb and flow of loud chatter, high-pitched laughter and more slams of car doors from the eight to 10 people who showed up.

The finale was an over-the-top, to the heavens, rendition of Simon and Garfunkel’s “America” that will long remain in the memories of those who lived it.

Campers who had stayed at Wompatuck for a week said it had been quiet until that night.

No one called police or asked the group to quiet down. There were no security patrols, and the registration station was closed.

Biggest surprise: The after-midnight group of would-be minstrels at a nearby campsite who kept other campers awake with music and noise.

High points: Dinner; bike ride to Aaron River Reservoir

Low point: Forgetting the tent poles.

Best for: Day-trippers and bicycle lovers. No swimming or boating, so this campground isn’t for everyone.

Reception area: Clean and attractive. The teenager who checked us in was efficient and knowledgeable, unlike the one who was working Sunday morning. He was helpful, but a majority of questions were left with resulted in the answer, “I don’t know.” Maps of campsites, trails and area attraction guides were available.

Bathrooms and showers: Clean. There was hot water in the showers, and water pressure was good. Free showers had an area to change. There was no wait on a Sunday morning.

Camp store: None

Grounds: Clean. Roads and trails are well-maintained.

Campsite: Small. Campers with pop-up trailers and RVs had little space to maneuver. Picnic tables were old, and chipped, but useful. Bring a tablecloth. Trees, shrubs and tall grass gave each site some privacy. Fresh drinking water was a short walk to a spigot from all campsites.

Amenities: Electric hookups, visitor’s center that has offers a general history of park and wildlife, special events such as pony rides and children’s nature hikes.

Atmosphere: Nice setting for campers and day visitors. Locals use the campground for jogging, bicycling and walking. A bike is a must for campers. There are few hills, and 12 miles of paved roads through woods make it ideal for peddling.

Policing: No patrols were seen while we were there. The “quiet period,” from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. was not enforced.

-- L.E. Campenella/ The Patriot Ledger

MYLES STANDISH STATE FOREST

COST: $12 a night, $14 for out-of-state residents, plus a $9.25 fee for the reservation.

WHAT'S THERE: Sixteen ponds, picnicking, swimming, fishing, canoeing. Fifteen miles of bicycle trails, 35 miles of equestrian trails and 13 miles of hiking trails take visitors deep into the forest in the park's nearly 15,000 acres. There are no electric or sewer hook-ups.

OUR RATING: * *

Myles Standish State Forest doesn’t have a lot going on as far as organized activities, but for families interesting in spending some time in the wild, this could be the place. The park is divided into five camps, connected by long winding, poorly paved roads.

Each camp has its own personality. One is specifically for horseback riders. Another seems to attract a younger, more rowdy crowds.

We were in one of the Curlew Pond loops, to the north of the park where all sites have at least a partial view of the large pond. The Charge Pond area is larger and has more large sites, and is where more of the activities happen.

Myles Standish is good for those who really want to rough it.

To be fair, this was my first time camping, and I thought there would be more to do.

Swimming was the most popular activity: there was even a group of self-proclaimed “intrepid swimmers” who arrived back from a stroll and swim in the darkness at around 11 p.m.

Some people I’ve talked to have said Myles Standish can get rowdy at night, but our area was quiet. By the time our fire died at 11 p.m., the only sound was the loud croak of what sounded felt like a thousand bullfrogs hiding out near our tent.

Biggest surprise: The size. With 16 ponds and 13 miles of hiking trails, you can forget that you’re just 45 minutes from Boston.

High point: It was peaceful. Even though the sites are fairly close together, if you’re looking for seclusion, this is the campsite for you.

Low point: The Forest Headquarters is far from park entrances, so finding it without the map they eventually give you is difficult. A general lack of directional signs made it just as difficult to find my campsite and bathrooms.

Best for: Families or small groups interested in the hiking and bike trails, or just relaxing. Also a great place for equestrians.

Reception area: Clean. Staff was friendly and helpful, and check-in was fast and easy. There were rules and maps posted, and they had pamphlets for area attractions available. Rangers were giving other guests advice on best places to rollerblade,

Bathrooms and showers: Cleaned each afternoon. Floor was coated in sand and muck, so bring your own shower shoes. The showers were grimy. Bring toiletries and hand soap because they have nothing except toilet paper available.

Camp store: None

Campsites: Small but efficient. It was clean, with a fire pit and attached grill, and a picnic table. There are some trees between sites, but you can definitely see your neighbors.

Grounds: Roads are rutted and poorly maintained. There aren’t enough directional signs to help you find your way around. Most campers pick up after themselves, so grounds were clean. Picnic tables are old and some are in need of replacement.

Amenities: The staff of the park’s Interpretive Center offers daily programs such as a cranberry bog walk, campfires and scavenger hunts.

Atmosphere: Fairly quiet. A group of teenagers talking around a campfire was the closest thing to a disruption after 9 p.m. Music could be heard in the distance around 10:30 p.m., but it stopped after a camper complained.

Policing: Park patrol came through the area three times between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m.

-- Kristen Walsh/ The Patriot Ledger

NORMANDY FARMS

COST: $35 to $69 a night, depending on the site and day. Weekends and sites with full water, electric, sewer and cable service cost the most.

"Umm... I don’t have a fire ring at my site,” I told the ranger helping out another camper nearby, pointing to my campsite, a fact I’d been fretting over all evening.

He smiled, I swear, the biggest smile I’ve ever seen, and told me he’d just have to fix that for me.

Minutes later, he was by again, dropping off my own personal fire pit. Some sort of s’moremobile drove by, selling firewood, marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers to the crowd of campers who hadn’t remembered to pack their own.

This was my welcome to Normandy Farms Family Camping Resort, where the living is so surreal that it’s like you’re in a Disney movie.

It would be unfair to compare the place to state campgrounds, which charge far less per night and have to work within the state budget.

The name says it all – this is not your typical campground.

Instead of hotel rooms, there was row after row of RVs, home for campers tired of the amenities elsewhere in the park.

The setting is less wooded than most state campgrounds, but lack of tree-buffer between sites seemed of little concern to these campers; they were too busy splashing in one of four pools to care.

Biggest surprise: The s’moremobile – probably not it’s real name – a truck that goes through the campground, selling firewood, marshmallows and chocolate, among other things.

High point: With amenities like a hot tub and cable hookups, this is like the Cadillac of camping.

Low point: Interstate traffic was audible and visible from the campsite, which afforded little privacy. This isn’t the kind of place you go to escape.

Best for: Families.

Reception area: Like all of the buildings, clean and looked brand new. Because I was a first-time visitor, a ranger personally escorted me to my campsite.

Grounds: Clean and well-maintained. Don’t go expecting to become one with nature, but on the other hand, there weren’t any mosquitoes.

Campsites: Most are close together and offer little privacy. Overflow campers got to choose a spot in the middle of a field alongside other RVs, tents and cars. The staff tells you when you book a site whether you will be in the field.

Policing: Ranger drove through at the beginning of the quiet time, maybe later, too, but I fell asleep. There was very little noise and nearly all families, so they I didn’t notice any disturbances where they had to intervene.

-- Diana Schoberg/ The Patriot Ledger

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